1" billet spacers and 32s

I have a 95 with a 4 inch lift. I am currently running 30s and it is about time for new tires. Will I be able to run the 32x11.50 BFG ATs on a stock rims with 1" billet spacers. This should give me a 4.25 BS. I have two inch bump stop extentions up front and 3 in the back. no trimming of the fender flairs--yet. My shocks are set for neutral traval up and down and 10" of travel up front and 9 in the back. I know Jeff (xjeeper runs a wheel spacer and 32s, but I think he is at 6" lift) thanks in advance

Where do you get billet spacers from and how much do they usually cost?

here is a link

http://www.performancewheel.com/adapters.html

new, they are about $200 for a set of four

wow... at $50 each isn't it better to just get new rims?

Kejtar said:

wow... at $50 each isn't it better to just get new rims?

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That plus having to install all new wheel studs,that wont be cheap!

performance is one of the most expensive places out there...try www.rockbuggysupply.com i think it is.

Hunter

Duane,

Are you considering the spacers because you think it's necessary to run w/32's?

Wheel spacers have nothing to do with the amount of lift you run. Depending on what width wheel you run will determine the backspace. (4-4.5 seems to be ideal for an 8" rim)

I'm running 32x11.5's with stock backspacing,(5.25") and no trimming (see related thread) and am happy with it.

If I were you, I'd just run stock BS and spend the 200 bones on something else. (Like a check to me)


Good luck,

John

PS we're here to help each other, so even the seemingly simplest questions get answered

The problem with stock BS'ing and 32x11.50 tires--at least for some of us--is that you lose turn radius/tires rub on the control arms. Also, as the saying goes, as you go up you should go out. This is a very good idea for stability reasons, especially when wheeling. YMMV.

Tom

I don't think anyone is disputing that.. but the spacers at $50 each though.....

You know, I just went through this when I got my 32x11.50 MTRs. Figured I wanted about 4.5"bs on a 15x8 wheel - then saw that most wheels I could find were about 3.75"bs. Too wide for my needs.
So then I looked into spacers too. Trouble was that the quality ones weren't cheap. Back to the drawing board - finally lucked out and got a decent deal on used 15x8 4.5bs wheels. Good Luck.

And John-Boy, I respect your experience, but 11.5's on 5.25bs puts the inner sidewall too close to stuff for my comfort, especially with my leaf pack. IMHO 4.5bs gives the right mix of clearance w/o trimmming for this size tire.

Mike in NJ atriot:

Thanks for the input so far, but I am a little bit confused on what people say will work as it relates to stuffing properly vs. backspacing of wheels. I think this is due to the fact that the same BS in a 7 " and 8" wheel will produce offsets that are different. To clarify, I have stock 7" wheels with the stock offset of 1.75" (44.4 mm). I have searched many posts and seen the BS of 4.5 to 4.75 mentioned as the preferred BS, but what wheel width?

Lift height does not relate directly to what BS you can run but in general the higher you go the longer shock bodies you will have and you have to limit up travel to protect those shocks. Less up travel will result in less fender flare interference etc--blah blah

I'm also interested in getting a little more width for stability and side protection when you go through the squeezes.

I realize that the good spacers are expensive, but if you want Alloy (aluminum) wheels, they are in the $100 each range.

John-Boy--the Ex-wife already has laid claim to the $200---ouch

Any more clarification will be greatly appreciated--thanks guys

Duane said:

Thanks for the input so far, but I am a little bit confused on what people say will work as it relates to stuffing properly vs. backspacing of wheels. I think this is due to the fact that the same BS in a 7 " and 8" wheel will produce offsets that are different. To clarify, I have stock 7" wheels with the stock offset of 1.75" (44.4 mm). I have searched many posts and seen the BS of 4.5 to 4.75 mentioned as the preferred BS, but what wheel width?

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True. That's why I think it's a good idea for folks to point out the rim width when they state what BS'ing works well with a given lift height and tire size (or perhaps more appropriately, when showing pictures). By the way, I've seen both 7" and 8" wide rims with 4.5" BS'ing used with 32x11.50 tires with great results. I've seen 15x8, 4.5 BS'ing, running 33x12.50 tires work wel, too.

Duane said:

I realize that the good spacers are expensive, but if you want Alloy (aluminum) wheels, they are in the $100 each range.

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Exactly, and $100 per alloy rim is on the cheap side. Steel rims are cheap by comparison, but they can bend. This is something I'm experiencing right now, though mine came pre-bent from the ARE factory. Many XJs already have alloy rims. So for a little more than your average set of new steel rims you can keep your alloys by using the billet wheel adapters and not worry about bent rims. Just another way of looking at it.

Tom

Tom is right of course, but my bias and concern has always been on the inside sidewall - in which case ONLY the bs and tire width relationship affects clearance, regardless of wheel width.

And I second the notion that $100 new alloys are a tough, if not impossible score, which throws the bias towards billet spacers and OEM wheels. (as CHW would say, "less unsprung weight than steel"!) Luckily I was able to find my set of lightly used 4.5bs alloys for around the same price, which makes me very happy!

Mike in NJ atriot:

MORE has some spacer that are hubcentric and bolt on to your wheel studds and then have wheel studs on them. I am looking into them for my 8.8 swap. My buddy is running them with no problems.

Are there any torque problems with the spacers? I thought that because they stuck the wheels out further from the actual axle, they would cause premature axle failure.... Are spacers any different from backspacing??? Since I consider myself an excellent machinist (ahem...)..... , I don't feel like shelling out $200+, when I can make a full set for WAY less than that.
Also, I could make them with different bolt patterns to accomadate different wheels e.g. 5.25 on 4.5 or 6 lug wheels etc.
Any takers?

Seth